What They Think
by Poliwhirl42
Summary: All of your favorite Pokemon characters get to experience their friends', enemies', and frenemies' personal thoughts about them in Poli's newest and exclusive game show. Contains Poke/Contest/Rocket/shipping and plenty more!


_**~*~Misty~*~**_

Poli sat back, crossed her right leg over her left, and took off her thin-framed glasses, polishing each lens with a silky cloth as the red-haired girl sat patiently in a brown leather chair across from her.

"Misty," the brunette said at last, breaking the tense silence. "Gym Leader and fourth and youngest of the Sensational Sisters of Cerulean City, am I right? It's nice to see you again."

"Um, same here," the girl replied cautiously, gulping a little.

"Anyway!" The bespectacled teenager clapped her hands together, making the redhead jump a little in her seat. "The reason why I brought you here is because I have something…special to show you- so sit back, relax, and enjoy the show," she said, giving a nod to the chubby poliwhirl next to her as it slid a shiny disc into the DVD player in the small room.

Misty sat back and chewed the tip of her fingernail awkwardly as she waited for Poli to turn on the flatscreen.

Suddenly, a tall girl with blue-green eyes, caramel-colored hair pulled back into a ponytail, brown-framed glasses, and a microphone in hand appeared on the high quality screen.

Misty sighed. It was none other than "Poli" herself.

"_This is yet another rendition of 'What They Think', folks, and I'm your bubbly and slightly freakish host, Poliwhirl42. So sit back, grab a bag of popcorn- don't forget the butter!- and please enjoy as we watch various interviewees share their thoughts and comments about everyone's favorite short-tempered redhead, Misty Waterflower!"_

Misty gasped and glanced at Poli, who smirked in reply and raised the volume on the T.V. slightly.

A banner with a picture of the redhead appeared above the stage in the studio, and Poli gestured to the lineup of people who sat in silver stools behind her.

Misty froze as she recognized each one.

Ash was one of them.

He was grinning as he glanced up at the picture of her, then back at the people applauding enthusiastically. His messy black hair was tucked into a blue and red cap adorned with a pokeball, and Pikachu was perched upon his shoulder as usual. His brown eyes sparkled with delight as he basked in what he thought was _his_ ovation.

Misty had to stifle a knowing grin at _that_ one.

"_First of all, I have something extremely important to tell the audience, something that absolutely NONE of these wonderful people can hear. My apologies, guys,"_ Poli said, turning back to the group of puzzled participants. _"My poliwhirl, dear ol' Whirly-"_

"_-Nice original name,"_ Gary snickered.

"_Hey! No interrupting! Now just for that, Mr. Oak, Whirly will have the pleasure of placing these high quality earplugs- which block out ALL sound- on your pointy ears!"_ Poli yelled defensively, patting Whirly's back and whispering reassuring words into its ear.

Gary frowned and crossed his arms as Whirly begrudgingly handed him a pair of earplugs. _"I do NOT have pointy ears."_

Misty laughed and shared an amused glance with Poli before turning back to the television set.

"_Now that all of our contestants are at their deaf point, I can share the news about this game show. Last week, I have interviewed each of the participants, asking their secret and most personal thoughts on each of their friends. I swore to them that this information would be confidential, but little do they know that Poli's not the best at keeping secrets…"_ She trailed off, sweatdropping and giggling embarrassedly as the audience laughed.

"_Anyhoo, we will be starting with Brock's interview, and everyone else's comments will take place after his continuously. And by the way, there is absolutely NO backing out from any of you participants, you hear? Uh…guys? You can take out the earplugs now."_

Silence, with a bit of chuckling that emitted from the audience.

Poli rolled her eyes anxiously and nodded to Whirly to take off everyone's earplugs.

"_As I was saying, I will start with Brock's comments on Misty,"_ she announced, gesturing to Whirly to bring down a large white screen over the stage.

"_What?"_

"_Calm down, Brock-o. Just watch."_

Misty watched the television screen with anticipation- and a little uneasiness- as the lights in Poli's studio dimmed and soft strums of a guitar could be heard from the video playing on the white screen.

The guitar music got a little louder and Brock popped up onscreen, spiky brown hair and all, sitting in the exact same room where Misty sat now.

"_Misty is definitely one of my good friends. Despite some differences, especially the ear-pulling-"_ he rubbed his right ear for good measure- _"You could say that we have a lot in common. I mean, at one point, we were both gym leaders, we traveled together, even some of our views on romance were the same."_

Misty and Poli had to chuckle at that last comment.

"_I miss Misty a lot and wish she was still traveling with Ash and me, but I'm proud of her as the gym leader and I know that she's a great trainer and doesn't give up."_

A chorus of "awws" filled the studio as the audience clapped and cheered. Brock, a little embarrassed from watching himself pop up on the screen so unexpectedly, smiled and flushed from all the applauding.

Misty smiled as nostalgia flooded her veins, remembering all the fun times she had traveling with Ash and Brock.

She missed it so much.

The next person to pop up on the screen after Brock was none other than Gary Oak. His arms were crossed and a small smirk was plastered across his face.

Misty sighed and wondered what in the world Gary would have to say about her.

"_Ah, I remember Ash's red-haired little friend."_ He sighed happily and placed his arms behind his head, leaning back against the chair. _"You know, she's not a bad pick, once you've seen her in that mermaid costume. Believe me, I've seen some of the Waterflower shows on T.V., and she really cleans up nicely,"_ he added amusedly.

From the studio, Misty noticed Gary redden at his comment as he tried to smile and ignore the audience's "oohs" and suggestive catcalls.

She also noticed with surprise that "Ashy-boy" didn't look all too pleased with Gary's remarks, either…

The third person to appear was Tracey. Misty turned to Poli and grinned as she waited for Tracey's comment.

"_Misty's such an amazing friend. I really liked traveling with her and Ash to the Orange Islands and she's a great water pokemon trainer,"_ Tracey said shyly, giving a sweet smile to the camera.

The audience "aww'ed" at that one as well, and the redhead sat back on the couch and smiled in appreciation for Tracey's compliments.

A young woman with long, raspberry-colored hair and blue eyes was next- Misty recognized her right off the bat.

Jessie.

Of Team Rocket.

"Jessie? I doubt she has anything nice to say," Misty said, eyeing Poli.

Poli shrugged. "Okay, Number One: Just watch and see what she says, and Two: I never said that all comments would be nice and sweet, I just asked for their opinions, good and bad," she said nonchalantly, raising the volume just a little more.

Jessie placed her chin in her palm and tapped it, probably trying to think of something nice to say about the red-haired "twerp". _"Misty…"_ she began at last. _"I remember the twerp's first female traveling friend. Although she did have quite a temper, we did have some things in common."_

James was obviously next to appear, glancing at the camera uncertainly. _"Uh…I'm pretty sure I remember calling her "Missy" once, and she did get rather upset,"_ he mumbled dumbly, looking a bit uneasy. _"That's really about all I remember, other than the fact that she did have a nice collection of water pokemon."_

Meowth was the third to appear out of the trio, and he looked confident and content as he lounged on the leather seat of Poli's office. _"Yeah, I rememba 'dat goil. She was 'da one who took up all 'da space when she, Jimmy Boy and I got stuck in 'da woods together. She wasn't 'dat bad for a goil, I gotta admit."_

The gym leader suppressed an amused smile at the cat's Brooklyn accent, yet she did appreciate the infamous trio's kind words.

May popped up on the white screen and gave a little wave to the camera. _"Misty, even though we've only met a few times, I think you're a great trainer and gym leader and your togepi was the cutest thing ever; I still miss it."_ Misty smiled appreciatively, although a few tears welled up in her ocean eyes due to the mention of her former lovable egg pokemon. _"I hope I see you soon!"_ the brunette added, beaming at the camera one last time, before Max's youthful face appeared in her place.

"_Hi Misty! I just wanted to thank you for what you told me that day when we saved the cleffa in the woods,"_ the boy said. _"I hope I see you soon and maybe we can have a battle together once I get my first pokemon. But watch out- I won't go easy on ya,"_ he added with a giggle as he waved to the camera.

Misty smiled with deep appreciation for Max's kind words but had to groan and rolled her eyes at the three "beautiful girls" who took up the next shot on the white screen. She wondered if they could possibly think of any nice things to say to her.

"_Shh!" We're like, on T.V., guys!"_ she heard Daisy whisper to the other two, who could be heard giggling softly in the background.

"_Hey, Myst, like, just wanted to like, let you know that even though you can be really stubborn and annoying sometimes,"_ Daisy began, holding back a few giggles, _"you'll always be our baby sister. We love you!"_

"_Misty, you'll always be, like, a better gym leader than we'll ever be!"_ Violet chimed in.

"_You go, girl!"_ Lily called from the background, causing the three of them to crack up before waving flirtatiously to the camera (just in case any cute guys happened to be watching the program).

Misty rolled her eyes playfully, yet smiled at her sisters' "thoughtfulness".

Next up, a teenage boy with scruffy brown hair appeared nervously on the white screen. Misty noticed how a few of her friends that were seated (namely Ash and Brock) seemed a bit puzzled when wondering just who this boy is and how he could relate to Misty OR the interview. But Misty sighed and wrung her wrists anxiously.

"_Misty,"_ the boy began, _"You're the most beautiful girl that I've ever seen. You're also a very talented water pokemon trainer and you perform beautifully in your sisters' underwater shows. I'm sorry if I seemed a little pushy when revealing that I was your secret admirer"_ –he added air quotations to verify his point- _"but I think you're a great person. I hope that maybe someday we could talk more and possibly even become friends."_

Once more Misty noticed with surprise that Ash had that same frown set on his face after hearing Georgio's comment when he heard Gary's remark before.

She turned to Poli and shrugged, earning a smirk in return from the bespectacled brunette.

"Just a few more," Poli said nonchalantly.

The next to appear was a girl her age with two violet-colored pigtails and an espeon in her arms. Misty's face lit up as she recognized the girl instantaneously. _"Thanks for being such a great friend, Misty. I know we hardly see each other but we're like sisters at heart because we have so much in common. One of these days I'll come to the gym and we can have another battle!"_ She raised one of Espeon's paws and waved it at the screen. _"I'm sure Espeon would like to see you too,"_ Sakura added with a genuine smile.

The last person to appear on the screen was another boy about Misty's age, with darker brown hair and a suave smile set upon his tanned face.

Rudy.

An instant before the Trovita Island native got a chance to share something on the white screen, Misty couldn't resist turning to Ash and seeing that same frown for the third time.

"_Ah, lovely Misty,"_ Rudy said, with a flip of his shiny brown hair. _"Besides being an amazing dancer, you are a great trainer and I admit right here and now that you stole my heart when I first saw you come to Trovita way back when. And remember_," he added, giving the camera a gorgeous smile, _"If you ever change your mind and decide to come back and stay with us, we're not going anywhere. My sister says hi too."_

Misty smiled politely at his compliments but still noticed Ash's strange expression as he looked up to the white screen from his silver stool down below.

Was he…jealous?

Of course he recognized Rudy, but what brought about this sudden change of behavior (from what she could tell by his facial expression onscreen)?

"Wait- is he the last one?" Misty asked, glancing to Poli for perhaps the millionth time that day. "Ash still hasn't gone yet!"

Poli rolled her eyes knowingly at the redhead and paused the tape. "Oh, hold your Horsea, Misty. If you were paying attention, you'd see that I haven't forgotten Ashy-boy." She leaned back more against the couch pillows and pressed "Play".

"_And now for our very last contestant, Ash Ketchum!"_

Ash, decked out in his usual Sinnoh outfit, appeared on the white screen, Pikachu perched upon his shoulder as usual.

"_Misty…"_ he began, trailing off and closing his eyes, sighing apprehensively as if not knowing what to say. _"Just wanted to say that…you're very special to me. I mean, you were my very first traveling companion, and honestly, my first true friend- besides Pikachu, that is."_ He earned a small chuckle from Misty, Poli, and the audience and other interviewees on the tape. _"Listen, I know we haven't seen each other in what seems like forever, but I promise that once I compete- no, once I win the Sinnoh League, haha- I'll come back to Kanto first thing and visit you. Thanks for being such a great friend."_ He smiled shyly at the camera and blushed faintly.

"_I miss you."_

Did she _hear_ him correctly?

And the camera on the white screen was clicked off, leaving Misty to turn a bright pink, baffled at the words that had just popped out of the trainer's mouth.

A small chuckle came from the other side of the couch.

Misty growled. "And just what are _you_ laughing about?" she asked angrily.

"No reason to get angry, I'm just surprised Ash had the guts to compliment you in front of everyone like that. Not that he knew that his video would show up onscreen, anyway," Poli replied, still finding the whole situation humorous.

Misty's eyes widened. "They didn't know that those videos would be up there?"

Poli shook her head and gestured to the television screen, where the audience could be heard clapping and Ash could be seen blushing profusely and earning a high-five and friendly slap on the back from Brock and Rudy. "Of _course_ they didn't know. That's the whole point of the show. Here's an example: If Ash knew he was going to be filmed on live T.V., do you think he would have said all that stuff about you?"

"No. But isn't that a bit of a dirty trick?"

Poli sighed, placing her arms around her head as Whirly turned off the T.V. and ejected the video. "At first, it may _seem_ like a dirty trick, but I figured it might help with getting people together."

Misty blushed again. "W-what do you mean?"

Poli smirked and looked straight into the redhead's teal eyes. "Oh, you know what I mean, Misty Waterflower. I'll bet you any amount of money that I can hook you and all of your friends' little crushes before this season of my show ends. But only you know that they were being taped- not only to be interviewed about you but for each of their other friends as well. I may have to leave some consequences if you tell the secret about my show."

"Consequences? Like _what_?"

"Oh, nothing too bad. Just may have to have a little conversation with Ashy-boy about how much you enjoyed his compliments about you. Listen, if you don't want me to tell this little secret of yours, you have to promise to keep mine- the fact that your friends don't know that they were secretly interviewed about. Got it?"

Misty looked down with anger and frustration. She was silent for a bit, pondering about how unfair Poli's little offer really was. "Fine. I won't let anything slip. I promise."

"Thanks, Misty." The brunette let out a sigh of relief. "The exit is straight down this hallway and the door on the left will let you out. Whirly will show you the way out. Thanks for coming."

Misty nodded and said goodbye before letting the poliwhirl lead her out through the doorway of Poli's office.

Poli sat back once more and closed her eyes, enjoying conceitedly just how clever this plan of hers really was.

**A/N: …Yikes. Well, let's just say I've thought about attempting to write this fic for a long time, but, like most of my other fics, I don't exactly know where I might go with this. I hope the different settings weren't that confusing…**

***I'm still working on Greatest Gifts, too, so don't think I've abandoned that one.**

***So, without further ado, I invite you to press the button below and tell me what you think! Review. Suggest. Flame. I'm all ears. =D See ya next time! -Poli**


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